A Lashkar-e-Tayiba militant, who was being taken from West Bengal to Jammu and Kashmir [Images] in a train, escaped from police custody at Veerapatti railway station near Varanasi in the wee hours Wednesday, police sources said.

The ultra escaped when the Sialda Express train slowed down because of thick fog near the station, they said.

The militant, who was lodged in a jail in West Bengal and was being taken to Jammu and Kashmir, was handcuffed, police said adding, a massive combing operation has been launched to hunt down the ultra.